From the brewery's website: "Although it is a spontaneous fermentation beer, the Iris is very different from the Lambic. The amber colour and the bitter and slightly caramelized taste make it a complex beer."

Reviews by FernMaster:

Some people may have read that first line and cringed a little, you do what you can with what you can. However, it wasn't a bad fit pouring it into a white wine glass and it's a perfect segue-way into my thoughts on this beer. I've often thought, as others have I know, that the perfect beer to help the transition of wine drinkers into the scary world of beer is a lambic. But has anyone ever said that the perfect beer to transition beer drinkers into wine drinkers is a lambic? If not, allow me to be the first to say it.

I brought this over to my newlywed friends apartment as well as a cabernet sauvignon called "Josh," which I bought for the sheer novelty that the wine and I share names. My buddy likes beer (sort of, I need to get him away from macros) and he doesn't like wine. She likes beer and is starting to get into wine, something I'm doing now as well. I introduced him to the lambic as a hopes of opening him up to the possibilities of liking wine, the thinner mouthfeel and more fruity components I thought would aid in this. I even served it at red wine temperature.

Pouring this into a white wine glass may seem weird, but the pour was incredible. There was so much head on this beer, an amount that seemed unnatural to lambics. It was quite awesome. There was also some decent lacing on the glass as well. Also wow, is it gorgeous looking.

There's some nice funky earthiness to the nose. There was definitely some fruit in the nose as well, some sort of cherry, floral, grape scent.

The taste wasn't as tart as I'd expect, maybe because of the temperature I served it at and if so that's the temperature I'm serving all lambics from here on out at. It was still tart and funky but the fruit flavors of citrus, lemony and kind of grape flavors with the earthy strange funkiness was a true joy. I was most interested in how my friend was going to go to this. I think he enjoyed it, but I think he may have skewed his thoughts a little to make it seem like he wouldn't disappoint me. Bah. So maybe my theory on using this to get beer people into wine is a little thin, but that doesn't mean it should be abandoned on one case study.

The mouthfeel is very big and frothy, it sits very well in the mouth and isn't as thin as it's look may make you believe. There's also some nice carbonation in the beer so that really adds to the apperciation of the drink. It's very drinkable, especially at that 50-55 degree temperature range. It's a little pricey, which keeps me from regularly buying something like this, but if I feel like I want to indulge, I will purchase this again. I may also purchase it again in getting either wine or beer people into the drink they're not into yet.

More User Reviews:

4.6/5 rDev +5.7%

totally different stuff from cantillon here. all barley malt instead of some amount of wheat in here make it quite a bit more sturdy then their lambic types, and the hops are definitely more aggressive in flavor, although still really mild, especially by American standards. the beer has a darker caramel color to it, plenty of hazy as per usual with cantillon, and a tall and lasting dull muted whited head of tiny bubbles. the nose is more funk than sour, with some textured sweetness in there, and then of course the oaky mature lacto thing to finish. the taste is just like the nose, exactly like it, with the barley malt influencing this beer more in terms of body I think than flavor. the hops have an earthy dried herbal character to them than likes the bigger body, and carbonation is effervescently bright. I like the slightly richer feel to this, and the longer finish not usually there in their lambic. maybe a little less unique and distinct than some of their other beers, like say fou foune or the lou pepe fruit beers, but I think its quality is as good as any, and its definitely a new direction for them. stoked to have shared this bottle with my brother, who loves sours and wilds but until now has never had a beer from cantillon. we both really enjoyed it.

Huge thanks to TheLostGringo for the bottle. Cantillon is always appreciated! Iris pours the color of a bruised tangerine, completely opaque and full of haze; top to bottom, left to right. The little, light beige head piles up quickly, then dissipates just as quick as it settles to a meek film atop the beer and a small ring that outlines the glass.

Lots of that signature, lovely Cantillon critter funk in the aroma; barnyard, sweaty funk, horsey, and a bit of soaking wet hay. There's a nice, soft wheat background and even a very mild bit of grassy and floral hops mixed in, too. Looks like the 50% dry hopping really did come through; the bottle is relatively fresh, too, so I'm sure that helps.

Other than the bludgeoning of funk, the rest of the aroma is filled out with notes of tart lemons, mild white wine and vinous oak notes, and a touch of acid and vinegar that reach out and give your nostrils and saliva glands a nice stroking. It doesn't smell as tart as many of the other Cantillons I've had, but it's easily as funky and definitely one of the most unique.

Well, well, well... tartness may not have been the king of the aroma, but it's the first thing that hits my tastebuds with the initial sip. Very nice sour introduction, with sour apples, lemon zest, mild lactic acid, and faint white wine vinegar leading the way. Funk abound, per usual; like licking a musty barnyard floor with a sweaty horse standing nearby.

Iris contains a nice woody character throughout its entire profile, too, that really stands out and sets this brew apart. Woody, bitch-like, and grassy, with a vinous, aged-oak kind of finish that scrapes the moisture from your palate and leaves your mouth bone dry. Beautifully crisp, fluid, and even a bit creamy on the palate; thin-medium bodied with high carbonation.

Another winner from Cantillon. Heavy funk, heavy tartness, and a good meshing of fruits, bugs, and vinous flavors. The dry hopping with fresh hops is surprisingly more noticeable than I thought it would be. Certainly there would be consequences in the form of acid reflux and stomach ulcers if you decide to tackle a 750 mL bottle solo, but believe me, when you try it, you're not gonna want to share.

Presentation: 750 ml bottle, corked and capped. Bottling date and freshness date on label (Bottled 2008-05-26, best before 2015-12). Some information about the production process on the back.

Appearance: The pour is golden/copper - almost reddish - and semi-clear. The color of this brew is very appealing. The white, 1 cm head is lively but quickly dissipates leaving a minimal ring of lacings. The head is not as big as anticipated (perhaps due to the chosen glassware).

Smell: The smell is rather complex: Scents of unripe green apples sit side by side with hints of grapefruit, and in the other corner vinegar tags up with a faint funky smell. Amazing smell.

Taste: The taste is even more complex than the smell. Where to start, where to start... First of all, this is a very sour beer. Sourness and tartness thus being its main characteristics. Tastes of especially lemon, but lime, are up-front and linger on throughout the experience. A fruity character of unripe green apples and grapefruits is also prominent. Vinegar also reappears in the taste, but is not as dominant as in the smell. A faint hint of yeast is also detectable. Subtle hints of a funky barnyard taste adds an interesting tension to the taste of the concoction. The very long finish is primarily sour and a bit dry.

Mouthfeel: The body is medium. Carbonation is good. The sourness sends a tickling feeling to the cheeks, which is a pleasant sensation.

Drinkability: I really like lambics and in my opinion this is a really good beer. The distinct sourness actually doesn't become overwhelming, even though the bottle is 750 ml. A highly recommended brew.

NOTE: I'm going to cellar a bottle of this for a year or two, and see how it turns out cellared.

I shared this bottle last night with kmpitz2 at The Map Room. The Iris evacuated the bottle with a deep golden color and a big, bubbly three finger head. Tempting aromas of vinegar acidity, barnyard funkiness, hints of citrus/floral and a bit of dirty sweat socks thrown in for good measure. Wonderfully unique and tempting.

Smooth, crisp mouthfeel with small bubbly carbonation. This is so easy to drink and each sip just leaves me wanting more and more. Gueuze and lambic are becoming some of my favorite styles and Cantillon has blown me away so far...I highly recommend Iris and I look forward to trying more of their beers.

I got to try a vintage bottle of this at a local bar, dated 1996. $12.

Bright vibrant red, like kool-aid or a crayon. No head. Extremely tart, strong nose. The taste was intensely tart and sour, maybe even beyond Dogfish Head's Festina Lente. I mean that in a good way, though. I really enjoyed this, and dont know what to compare it to, other than the above mentioned lambic. I dont know if the flavor was supposed to be cherry or raspberry or what. The lowest mark for this lambic was the drinkability. It is pretty intense, and I dont know how much the average lambic drinker could handle.

A 750ml bottle poured into a tulip glass. Vintage 2004 on the label, bottled 2006 on the cork. Hazy golden red color with a tiny head and little carbonation. A tart fruity aroma, very earthy. Citrus fruit taste, very sour, yeast, crisp, clean finish. Loved this beer. Could drink it all night if my salivary glands were up to it.

Its one of the Beer axioms I live by, when you see Cantillon on tap, order it! So when I saw this on on tap at My Place in Ct. my choice was a no brainer...this one poured cloudy, dull light amber, with minimal head, lacing etc. Nose was the expected sour, funky ripe apples. IOn the tongue, this classic, unadulterated Lambic continued the theme of sour, but not too sour, apple notes, funky, flavorful, unique, intense, complex, what can I say I love the Cantillon brews and this one was just lovely. Support the producers of these world class artisinal creations.

Pours and orange color with an off-white head. Aroma is a very tart, sour. Some spices and floral qualities also. The flavor is vinegary with some great tart fruit. You get some wood notes in the flavor as well as a good mix of citrus and some barnyard funk. High carbonation and extremely drinkable.